Gold-saving device



W. D. BLUDWORTH.

GOLD SAVING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY I5, 1919.

1,327,854, Patentd' Jan. 13, 19:0.

IN V EN TOR.

' 5 Mlliaznfifiludworlh Q A; TTORNEY WILLIAM D. BLUDWORTH, FAIROAKS, CALIFORNIA.

GOLD-SAVING DEVICE.

Application filed. May 15, 1919.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM D. B UI WORTH,. a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Fairoaks, in the county of Sacramento, State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improve ments in Gold-Saving Devices; and I do declare the following to be a clear, full, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this application.

This invention relates to improvements in a gold saving device which is particularly adapted to be used in the free gold or placer system of mining, and I have produced a portable device adapted to be easily transported from place to place on pack animals or otherwise, and by means of which every particle of gold in the sand, gravel, etc., will be saved.

In sluicing and all other methods of mining for free gold, the ground invariably packs and the force of water necessary to carry off the waste material also takes with it a large percentage of fine gold. Millions of dollars worth of gold have been lost by the miners since the discovery of gold in California on this account.

The principal object of my invention is to provide a means for positively breaking up any lumps which may form in the gold bearing dirt and to keep the material thoroughly agitated so as to allow the gold to settle back of the rifiles, giving a clean extraction of all values.

Another object ofthe invention is to pro duce a simple and inexpensive device and yet one which will be exceedingly effective for the purposes for which it is designed.

These objects, I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of the parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims.

On the drawings, similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved gold saving device, with one side cover removed to show the interior mechanism.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the device.

Fig. 8 is a sectional elevation taken on a line 3'3 of Fig. 1.

Referring now more particularly to the c a a rs of reference on h d a ing Specification of Letters Patent. Patented J an. 13', 1920.

Serial No. 297,231.

the numeral 1 designates the casing of the device, which is substantially arectangular box provided with a hinged door 2 extending over oneentire side of the device. This door is normally held in vertical position adjacent the casing by means of catches 2*. Under each end of the casing transversely thereof is a rocker 3, adapted to rock on the end pieces of a frame 4 positioned under the same, the rockers being held on the frame by means of pins 5 secured thereto and projecting through transversely slotted holes 6 in the end pieces of the frame 4.

At one end of the casing 1 on top of the same is a hopper 7 having a screen ,8 in the bottom thereof. This hopper 7 is hinged to the backside of the casing as at 9, and over hangs that side, and is normally held in horizontal position by any suitable lock or catch means as indicated at 10.

vHaving its inception under the hopper 7, extending the full width of the casing 1 and slanting downwardly from the hopper lengthwise of the casing is a metal lined sluice provided with spaced cross riflles 12 therein. This sluice delivers on to a similar sluice 13 slanting downwardly from tho sluic 11, and this in turn delivers onto a third similar sluice 14 slanting down from the lowerend of the sluice 13 and terminating adjacent the lower end of the casing, at which pointis-an orifice 14 therein to discharge the contents from the sluice 14,

Pivotally hung in the casing lengthwise and central of the sluice 11 is a' rod 15 provided with a plurality of spaced pointed bars or fingers 16 depending therefrom. The points of these bars just clear the bottom of the sluice 11, one end of the rod 15 projecting to the outside of the casing 1 and on that end having a weighted arm 17 depending therefrom.

Similarly mounted to the casing 1 above the sluice 13 is a rod 18 having pointed fingers 19 thereon, the positioning and proportionate length of the rod and fingers being similar to the members 15 and 16 respectively.

One end of the rod 18 projects outside the casing at the other end thereof from the rod 15, and has thereon a weighted arm 20. Handles 21 are provided at each end of the casing for the convenience of the operator. A box 22 may be positioned under the high end of the sluice 14 and adapted to temporarily deposi the saved gold i if d sir d,

The operation of the device is as follows: A quantity of the gold bearing dirt is placed in the hopper 7 and a stream of water turned onto the same. grasps either one of the handles 21 and rocks the casing 1, which causes thedirt in the hopper 7, to be sifted through the screen 8 or quicksilver behind the riftles. This action is continued in the lower sluices 13 and 1%.

At the same time, the rocking of the box, 1 causes the weighted arms 17 and 20 to swing, thus swinging the fingers 16 and 19 back and forth across the sluices, thus forcibly agitating the material and allowing the gold to settle.

The oscillating speed of the fingers will be faster than that of the main box, owing to the fact that the weighted arms are free and controlled merely by the action of gravity, which also causes the same to oscillate in the reverse direction from the main box, the movement of the latter being controlled by the hand of the operator.

The tailings and water, free of all precious metal, pass out through the orifice 14: and to remove the rocks, e-tc., remaining in the hopper the same is tilted on its hinges as shown in Fig. 2.

The door 2 is then opened and the amalgam collected and placed in the boX 22 for safe keeping.

The casing 1 may of course be made of any length and size and may have any desired number of sluices and swinging fingers.

Thus, from the foregoing description it will readily be seen that I have produced such a device as substantially fulfils the object of the invention as set forth herein.

The operator then Whil this specification sets forth in de tail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice, such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A gold saving device comprising a bOX mounted for transverse oscillatory move ment, a hopper thereon, a plurality of oppo-, sitely slanting flat rifiied sluices in the box positioned lengthwise thereof, one under the other, and the uppermost being adapted to communicate with the hopper, a rod pivotally mounted lengthwise of and above each sluice, and a row of spaced pivoted fingers on each rod running lengthwise of and tel" minating just above the floors of the sluices, such rods and fingers being adapted for 0s cillation in the reverse direction from the oscillation of the box.

2. A gold saving device comprising a box mounted for oscillatory movement, a hopper thereon, a plurality of oppositely slanting rifiied sluices in the box positioned one under the other, and the uppermost being adapted to communicate with the hopper, a rod pivotally mounted lengthwise of and above each chute, spaced fingers on the rods terminating just above the floors of the sluices and means whereby the rods and fingers are caused to oscillate in the reverse direction from the oscillation of the box, such means including weighted arms on the rods controlled by the action of gravity.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM D. BLUDVVORTH.

Witnesses VERADINE l/VARN ER, BERNARD PRIVA'I. 

